Azu in Tatar style with pickled cucumbers is a very spicy, original and tasty dish. It is very simple to prepare and at home it turns out no worse than in a restaurant. The classic and unchanged composition is meat and pickles. And, depending on the recipe, other vegetables are also added.
It is impossible to unambiguously attribute the basics to any specific category. After all, people are used to preparing it as a thick soup or a full-fledged second course. And if you do not add potatoes to the composition, then serve it as goulash, with various side dishes. The thickness is adjusted by the amount of water.
But it’s delicious in any case. And what’s important is that even those who are far from cooking can cope with the preparation. After all, creating this deliciousness is no more difficult than lasagna with chicken, for example!
Today I have prepared for you a selection of the most delicious and, at the same time, simple recipes for this dish. Enjoy it for your health!
Azu in Tatar style with pork pickles
Classic Tatar azu is usually prepared from lamb. Since pork is not eaten in Muslim countries, the use of beef (veal) or horse meat is allowed. However, basic pork recipes are prepared and served by representatives of many other religious denominations. Another question is whether such a dish can be considered a basic one... Well, let’s leave it for posterity :) And we’ll just cook it ourselves, try it, evaluate it and add it to our culinary notebooks if we like it.
And you’ll like it - it couldn’t be any other way! Very tasty, juicy pieces of pork in tomato sauce with pickles and vegetables - yummy, just lick your fingers! You can serve mashed potatoes or boiled rice as a side dish. But we will do it simpler and do without a side dish at all.
We will add potatoes to the composition, which will make this dish complete, not requiring any additions. It turns out very tasty, satisfying and easy to prepare!
List of required ingredients:
- 500 gr. pork (pulp)
- 2-3 medium sized onions
- 5-7 cloves of garlic
- 3 medium sized tomatoes
- Some greens to taste
- 3-4 pcs. pickled cucumbers or 7 gherkins
- Salt, ground pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 4-6 potatoes, depending on size
- Spices for pork (thyme, smoked paprika, hot chili pepper, etc. to taste)
- 2 bay leaves
- A little vegetable oil for frying
Step-by-step cooking process:
Step 1. It is better to take fresh, chilled pork. But if you have it from the freezer, it needs to be completely defrosted at room temperature.
Then we wash the piece and dry it with paper towels to remove excess moisture. After all, if the meat is wet, it will not be possible to fry it until golden brown.
Cut into small cubes, medium size.
Step 2. Peel the onion and cut into thin half rings.
Step 3. In this case, gherkins are used. It is enough to cut them into 2 parts lengthwise, and then in small pieces across.
If they are watery inside and contain a lot of brine, it must be drained.
Large cucumbers need to be turned into smaller pieces.
Step 4. With tomatoes everything is much simpler. They can be cut arbitrarily, because during the stewing process they will still soften and partially turn into puree. First, we wash the tomatoes and cut off the crust from the stalk.
Step 5. It is better to cook in a cauldron or saucepan with a thick bottom. The dishes must first be dried if you rinsed them beforehand. After all, now we will be frying meat and we don’t need extra moisture here.
Pour in a sufficient amount of vegetable oil and heat it as hot as possible. You shouldn’t skimp on the oil, because azu is not a dietary dish at all.
When everything is warmed up well, transfer the pork here. Stirring occasionally, fry over high heat until lightly browned.
Step 6. Now add the onion and cook until it becomes soft and translucent.
Step 7. Tomatoes go into cooking next. Immediately after them you need to add the sauce. To do this, dilute the tomato paste with a small amount of water until it reaches the consistency of thick, flowing juice. Pour into a common saucepan.
After boiling, turn the heat to minimum, add cucumbers, bay leaves, all the prepared spices and salt to taste. Add hot water from the kettle until the liquid covers all the ingredients. Its exact quantity also depends on how thick the dish you want to get.
Some people prepare the basics as a first course, adding more water. It turns out like a thick soup. You can also present it as a second dish by adding less liquid. It's a matter of taste!
Leave on low heat, cover with a lid, and simmer until the pork is done. This will take 40-50 minutes. Determine more precisely in practice. Tasting pieces of meat.
Step 7. About 20-25 minutes before it’s ready, let’s start with the potatoes. Heat more vegetable oil in a frying pan. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into medium cubes.
We send it to fry until golden brown on all sides. It is not necessary to bring it to readiness. The main thing is to brown it. This will take about 10 minutes.
We transfer it to a common bowl and add the garlic here, through a press.
Just in case, the pork will cook in about 10-15 minutes. And the potatoes will need the same time. Stir and cook under the lid until done.
At the very end, add finely chopped herbs and mix. Remove from heat.
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Can be served immediately. But if you let it brew for 15 minutes, it will only taste better. Enjoy your meal!
Delicious basics with pork
Ingredients:
- Pork – 500 gr.
- Onion – 3 pcs.
- Carrots – 2 pcs.
- Potatoes – 1 kg.
- Pickled cucumbers – 3 pcs.
- Vegetable oil – 5 tbsp. spoons
- Greens – 1 bunch
- Ground black pepper - to taste
- Tomato paste – 1 teaspoon
- Garlic – 3 cloves
- Water - to taste.
Cooking method:
1. Wash the pork and cut it (at your discretion).
2. Add oil to a hot frying pan and begin to fry the meat. Fry until half cooked.
3. At this time, peel the potatoes, cut them as desired and fry them.
4. Peel the onion, cut it finely, grate the carrots and add to the meat. Fry. We mix it thoroughly.
5. After a couple of minutes, add chopped garlic, fried potatoes, black pepper and a glass of water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
6. When everything is ready, add finely chopped greens. Bon appetit.
Classic recipe for beef basics with potatoes and tomatoes
The classic basics are made from lamb or, as in this case, beef. I offer you such a simple and delicious recipe.
No side dish needed here. After all, it contains meat and potatoes - an ideal combination for a full lunch or dinner. Nourishing, tasty and always good for any table.
What we need:
- 500 grams veal or beef tenderloin
- 1 large tomato
- 8 medium sized potatoes
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 3 pickled cucumbers
- Salt, pepper mixture to taste
- 1 medium onion
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried garlic
- Vegetable oil for frying
How to cook:
Wash the meat under running water, then pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid. Cut into elongated strips.
Peel the potatoes and chop into strips. For now, transfer it to a deep bowl and fill it with cold water. We will keep it in this form until it is sent to the train.
Chop the onion into thin half rings.
Chop the cucumbers into small pieces. For example, it is enough to turn a medium-sized specimen into quarter rings.
Wash the tomato, cut it into 2 halves and remove the thick crust from the growth of the stalk. We divide each part into 4 more slices, and then turn them into cubes.
Pour vegetable oil into a saucepan or cauldron. Heat it well over high heat. Only then transfer the beef. Stirring occasionally, fry on high until golden brown.
It is important that each piece is “sealed”, changes color and turns slightly golden afterwards. Then all the juice will remain inside the slices, and the outside will have an appetizing golden brown crust.
There is no need to bring it to readiness at this stage. The goal is to brown the meat.
Add onions and pickles. We combine all this with a spatula and cook over medium heat until the onion straws are soft.
Salt and pepper to taste and add hot water. Quantity: about 2 glasses.
The liquid must be at a high temperature so that there is no sudden drop.
Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes.
In a separate frying pan, heat a little more vegetable oil. First drain all the water from the potatoes, and then place them on lined napkins or a towel. We need to dry each slice well so that it then browns appetizingly.
Place the potatoes in a hot bowl and fry at high power for 10-15 minutes. During this time you need to turn it over 3-4 times, no more. But it is important that the straws are properly golden.
There is also no need to bring it to readiness. It will come in a pan.
When everything is well browned, remove from heat.
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Transfer the fried potatoes to the beef. Next will be a tomato, 1-2 bay leaves, dried garlic (or fresh through a press) and tomato paste. If necessary, you can add more hot water.
Stir, being careful not to damage the potato straws. Cover with a lid and simmer until done.
When serving, each serving can be decorated with herbs.
How to cook deliciously with chicken?
“Budget” chicken is also suitable for cooking basics. Even boring and dry chicken fillet acquires special juiciness when soaked in the juices of sour cucumber and ripe tomatoes. The dish is prepared in just 30 minutes, and the pleasure comes from the sea. This option is suitable for a dacha, where tomatoes are easy to pick straight from the bush, and where young potatoes are ripe. It can even be added whole if the tubers are still small.
The general set of components looks like this:
- chicken fillet;
- 600 g of new potatoes;
- pickled gherkins or pickled cucumbers – 2 pcs.;
- 2 – 3 ripe large tomatoes;
- bulb;
- vegetable oil for frying;
- salt pepper;
- greens to taste.
Instead of chicken, you can take turkey fillet - in density and taste it is similar to beef, but in terms of dietary properties it simply has no equal.
- Cut the chicken into strips or cubes and quickly fry in a frying pan.
- Peel the new potatoes and lightly boil them.
- Stew onions and cucumbers in a saucepan.
- Peel the tomatoes and add the resulting puree to the chicken.
- Now we combine our set and simmer until the potatoes are ready.
Season the basics with salt and spices, add herbs. Serve on a large deep dish and, as an addition, put on the table bunches of greens, sour cream and black Borodino bread.
How to cook basics in Tatar style with cucumbers and chicken
If you don’t have lamb or beef on hand, you can take everyone’s favorite chicken. The dish turns out very tasty, satisfying and appetizing even in appearance! But in reality it’s just a bomb!
Potatoes, chicken fillet and pickles in a wonderful composition called Azu! The deliciousness is indescribable. And most importantly, it is prepared simply and quickly. Even someone for whom frying eggs is already a culinary feat can cope. I'll tell you everything in detail now. Be sure to try it!
List of ingredients:
- Chicken fillet – 500 gr.
- Water – 100 ml.
- Potatoes – 500 gr.
- Cucumber brine – 50 ml.
- Tomatoes – 1 pc.
- Pickled cucumbers – 200 gr.
- Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.
- Salt, ground pepper to taste
- Garlic to taste
- Greens to taste
Cooking steps:
Let's start with chicken fillet. We will need one large breast or 2 medium ones. This is approximately 500 gr.
Remove skin and bones. Cut into strips. We will cut all the other ingredients in exactly the same shape.
As for cucumbers, you can take not only salted, but also pickled. In any case, it is better to use gherkins. They are easier to cut and in general, they are more tender and crunchy.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into elongated cubes. Grind the cucumbers in the same way.
Now the tomato. If desired, it can be peeled. To do this, we make a cross-shaped cut along the skin of the vegetable so that it can be conveniently removed later. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let's just hold it here for a minute. Then we take it out and put it straight into a bowl of cold water. When the tomato has cooled, peel it easily.
Cut into small cubes. It is not necessary to chop into strips, like all other products, because the tomato will still crumble during the cooking process.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or heavy-bottomed saucepan.
It is important to heat it well so that the fillet, when it gets here, immediately begins to fry, and not heat up along with the oil. Then the resulting crust will be golden brown.
Fry the chicken on high power until all sides are “sealed” and the slices become golden.
Add the tomato to the meat, mix and cook under the same conditions for another 5 minutes.
Then we include potatoes and cucumbers. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add water and brine. Stir thoroughly, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. From that moment, reduce the power to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
5 minutes before readiness, you can add a couple of cloves of garlic through a press or fine grater. You can replace it with dry seasoning if you don’t have fresh on hand. But its presence here is not at all necessary. Therefore, if you don’t like a hint of garlic in your dishes, just don’t add it in any form.
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Immediately after removal from the stove, the dish is considered ready. But we haven't added the greens yet. It can be sprinkled directly into the general mass and stirred. In this case, it is better to let the dish sit under the lid for about 20 minutes so that the greenfinch spreads its aroma to the maximum.
Or you can simply sprinkle it on each portion separately. In any case, it will be very tasty! Enjoy your meal!
Fish basics
One of the most unusual recipes is azu with fish.
For it, you can take any fish fillet, as long as it is boneless. Ingredients:
- fillet of any fish - 700 g
- potatoes (small tubers) - 3 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- pickled cucumbers - 3 pieces
- carrots - 1 piece
- tomato - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- greenery
- spices for fish
- Bay leaf
- salt pepper
- broth - 100 ml.
Preparation:
- We wash the fish, remove excess moisture with a paper towel, cut into small cubes 3*4 cm. You can choose white or red fish.
- Peel and cut the onion into half rings. Cut the potatoes into small cubes.
- Make a cross-shaped cut on the tomatoes, scald and remove the skin, then finely chop.
- Three cucumbers and carrots on a coarse grater.
- Fry the onion and potato cubes until lightly browned.
- Add carrots to them and fry for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- We send tomato and fish to the vegetables. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and add the cucumbers.
- Salt, pepper, add spices and bay leaves.
- 5 minutes before readiness, add garlic and chopped herbs.
How to cook basics with gravy in a slow cooker - video recipe
Above we looked at recipes for basics with potatoes. But it can be prepared without this vegetable. It turns out as an addition to any side dish. Rice, mashed potatoes or pasta would be good here!
We'll cook it in a slow cooker. This kitchen assistant will cope with such a mission in no time. I highly recommend you try it. If desired, the recipe can be adapted for cooking on the stove.
Ingredients:
- Beef – 500 gr.
- Tomato paste – 1 tbsp.
- Bay leaf, black peppercorns, salt - to taste
- Water – 1.5 cups
- Fresh parsley to taste
- Canned or fresh tomatoes – 1-2 pcs.
- Onion – 1 pc.
Bon appetit!
In a slow cooker
This hearty meat dish is attractive because it is simple and quick to prepare, even a novice cook can handle it.
Ingredients:
- beef pulp - 400 g
- pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.
- carrots - 1 pc. medium size
- onion - 1 pc.
- potatoes - 3 tubers
- half a head of garlic
- tomato paste - 2 tbsp.
- salt, spices
Preparation:
- Cut the beef across the grain. The size of the pieces is approximately 3x3 cm.
- Chop the onion, cut the carrots into strips, cut the garlic into large slices, grate the cucumbers on a coarse grater or cut into strips.
- Turn on the “frying” mode. Place the beef pulp in the multicooker bowl. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add chopped carrots, onions and garlic, cook for 10 minutes, also stirring.
- Place cucumbers, tomato paste, salt, pepper, spices, water or broth into the bowl.
- Select the “quenching” mode, close the lid of the multicooker and wait half an hour.
- At the end, put the chopped potatoes into the slow cooker and add water, simmer for another quarter of an hour.
Basic Tatar recipe with pickled cucumbers in pots in the oven
This dish would be perfect for dinner or lunch! Juicy, crumbly meat with potatoes, in a large amount of sauce with the spicy aroma of garlic and herbs - isn’t this happiness! Its undeniable advantage is cooking in pots.
First, of course, we will first prepare all the ingredients on the stove, and bring them to readiness in the oven. Serving in portioned pots even makes the meal more enjoyable. A kind of village dinner, like from a Russian oven. Highly recommend!
What we need:
- 600 grams of any meat pulp (beef, pork or lamb)
- 6-7 medium sized potatoes
- 2-3 pickled cucumbers
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- Tomato paste -2 tbsp.
- 1 large onion
- Vegetable oil
- A pinch of granulated sugar
- Salt, spices to taste
- 2 cups broth or water
How to cook:
You can take any meat. Traditionally, the basics are either beef (veal) or lamb. Cut the pulp into strips.
We turn the cucumbers into medium-sized straws. Set the broth or water to boil on the stove. Place the cucumbers in a saucepan to simmer for 10 minutes. They will become softer, but will not lose their taste.
Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan. While it is heating up, peel and chop the onion into half rings. We send it to fry for just a couple of minutes so that the straws become a little softer and change color.
Add the meat to the onion, stir and cook on high until golden brown.
Salt and pepper to taste. If desired, you can add other spices. For example, a ready-made bouquet of seasonings for a certain type of meat. Well, or just ground paprika, coriander and so on. You can limit yourself to just salt and pepper - it won’t get any worse!
Add the tomato paste and sprinkle it with a pinch of granulated sugar to balance its sour taste. Stir it into the mixture and fry everything together for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the stewed cucumbers along with the broth, use a spatula to turn everything into a single mass and simmer under the lid for at least 40 minutes.
Peel the potatoes and cut into strips. In another frying pan, heat a little more vegetable oil. Warm it up thoroughly and send the slices to fry.
There is no need to bring it to readiness, because we will also simmer it in pots. You just need to give it a golden brown crust. At the end of frying, add a little salt.
Prepare portioned pots. It’s better to take just these than one large dish. After all, brittle pieces can break when you serve portions from a common vat to everyone.
First, add the fried potatoes evenly.
Before removing the meat from the heat, you need to add garlic to the gravy, passed through a press or finely chopped with a knife. Stir and turn off. Pour into pots with potatoes. Close with lids.
Turn on the heat to 180 degrees. Place our creation in the oven on a wire rack and cook for about 30 minutes.
The pot is a clay dish, so it should usually be heated gradually, along with the oven. Placing a cold pot directly into the heat can destroy the pot and dish. However, we preheated all the ingredients, so nothing bad will happen to a heated pot in a hot oven. There won't be a big temperature difference.
When removing the pot from the oven, do not place it on the edge of a cold sink or other metal surfaces - again, so as not to damage it due to a sudden temperature change.
OK it's all over Now! We take it out of the oven and hurry to the table. If desired, sprinkle each serving with chopped herbs, mix and enjoy! Bon appetit!
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Chicken azu
This simple recipe is perfect not only for dinner with the family, but also for a gala feast.
Product composition:
- 350 g chicken fillet;
- A handful of raisins;
- 700 g potatoes;
- 150 g pickled cucumbers;
- 100 ml boiled water;
- 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- Large spoon of tomato paste;
- 2-3 bay leaves;
- Salt and ground black pepper - to taste.
Cooking instructions:
- We wash the chicken fillet, remove the films, tendons, cartilage ourselves, and cut into small strips or squares. You can use chicken goulash;
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the frying pan and lay out the chicken pieces. Fry them for 3-4 minutes on a small flame until a golden brown, tender crust appears, stir with a spatula;
- At this time, cut the pickled cucumbers into cubes;
- Pour boiled water (100 ml) into the frying pan and add a spoonful of tomato paste, stir thoroughly, simmer for 7 minutes;
- Cut the peeled potatoes into strips, fry in a separate frying pan in oil for about 8-10 minutes until lightly fried;
- Next, put the chicken with tomato sauce, potatoes, raisins (washed in warm water) and cucumbers into a saucepan. Season everything with ground pepper, bay leaves, add salt;
- Stir, simmer on low flame for 30-35 minutes, serve hot.
Chicken azu can be served with sour cream, freshly baked pita bread, herbs, and vegetable salads. To simplify the cooking process, you can make the basics in a multicooker - a “smart device” will cope with this task quickly and without problems.
Video - how to make Tatar azu in a cauldron with bell pepper
And I decided to add one more recipe to my selection today. I really like it when bell pepper is added to a dish. The aroma and taste is amazing! And for some reason it seems to me that I’m not alone... :)
So let's cook this dish in a cauldron together with the author. We watch and repeat.
What's included:
beef - 0.5 kg. onion - 300 gr. tomatoes - 300 gr. bell pepper - 100 gr. potatoes - 400 gr. garlic - 6 cloves meat broth - 250 gr. spices (coriander, black pepper, cumin, paprika)
Our delicious selection has come to an end. Although we can continue for a long time. After all, other ingredients can be added to any Tatar recipe. For example, sweet bell peppers, carrots, and so on. And you can adjust the thickness to suit your taste with the amount of liquid. You can cook it thicker or with gravy.
Cook with beef, pork or chicken - it's up to you. In this case, the time for stewing meat will, accordingly, be different.
I will be very glad if my recipes are useful to you! Take them to your wall on social networks and use them more often! See you soon!
